Chatbug Karen

Today’s plans have changed! Instead of clearing all the tax papers from my office furniture, I will be sewing. Often, on Saturday, I work in my office to avoid interruptions that can cause me to make mistakes when working with numbers. It is crazy how much more quickly I am able to get things done without the interruptions. Hubby usually runs the customer side of our business on Saturdays. I’ve always thought that if he would work in the store instead of installing, we would sell so much more carpet. He can dig through stuff and satisfy the customer’s needs much more so than I can. It isn’t that he is pushy; he knows what he is talking about when it comes to how things should be done. He installs to make sure things are done the way they are supposed to be done. These attributes have afforded us thirty one years in business.

I digress to the topic as to why I will not be pushing numbers but the pedal of my sewing machine instead. I had a customer this morning! She saw a Colt’s purse I made for a friend and wants me to make one for her. I have the fabric and the time. Off to sew I go. Have a nice weekend everyone!

My friend Val hosts Four Foods on Friday each week. The participants have fun answering her questions and learning about each other. If you’d like to join us click on the picture.

Val changed the meme a bit this week! She must have been heading out to a sale because it was short and sweet this week! Thanks Val.

Name four things you ate today.

blueberry bagel
leftover fried chicken
coleslaw
snickerdoodle cookie

According to CNN online, Actor Pernell Roberts, who played the eldest Cartwright brother in TV’s “Bonanza,” died at his Malibu, California, home Sunday at 81, his lawyer said. He was my favorite Bonanza star. I loved his dark hair and eyes. I didn’t know he was the same guy who played Trapper John! His bald head sure did age him!

Speaking of age, my husband keeps reminding me that I am older than bubble wrap. Bubble wrap is 50 years old today. I won’t be sending any party invitations to celebrate my birthday but I will be glad to pop some bubbles and annoy my “sweet” hubby. I might even use a roll of it to bonk him on his “sweet” head!

This is going to be a quiet weekend. The roads are too icy and make traveling a bit treacherous. I don’t want to chance going into the ditch even though I am anxious to get to a fabric store and search for some purple and green fabric. Hubby said he saw a truck owned by our utility company in the ditch. Seeing that big truck laying on it side would put me in need of an AED aka automated external defibrillator. I don’t need that much excitement.

I have been catching up on quilt blocks for our local quilt guild meetings. I love making each block to see how it turns out. My last block turned out a bit darker than the 11 other blocks but I think it will be alright. I hope it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. Can you tell which block I am talking about?

When I walked across the sidewalk to the gym today, I felt my feet trying to slide out from under me. I leaned to the left and then to the right and managed to stay upright. It was close though. My husband had told me how slick it was and I should have listened. I spent the rest of the day tip toeing while walking on any sidewalks. I wasn’t wearing any fancy Christian Louboutin shoes. I was wearing dependable, skid resistant shoes with rubber soles. Not the prettiest shoes mind you but very dependable for a gal who has the nickname, ClutzyK.

Why did I have to go out on such an icy day? I finished a purse for a patient customer. You see, I went to grab the purse she purchased from my Etsy site and discovered I had already sold said purse. Yikes! What to do, what to do. I felt like the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. I contacted the customer and she said she was fine with me making another bag as long as it was similar. Shewy! I had just enough fabric to make this bag. I hope she enjoys it. I really like the way it turned out even better than the first bag.

On Saturday, both hubby and I decided we were hungry for potato soup. I relinquished the shopping duties and let him buy the groceries and make the soup in his fashion.

This recipe is close to how he made his soup. It was wonderful. We have been eating it every day for 4 days. He doesn’t know how to cook small amounts.

Potato Soup
Ingredients

* 1 quart chicken stock
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 pounds baking potatoes, like russets
* 1 yellow onion
* 1 cup whipping cream
* 1 baked potato
* 12 ounces Cheddar, shredded
* 4 tablespoons sour cream, for garnish
* 4 tablespoons scallions, for garnish
* 4 tablespoons bacon, cooked and crumbled, for garnish
He also used a stick of butter and substituted ground sausage for the bacon. Any quick weight loss for this gal was not going to happen this week!

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a heavy 1 1/2-gallon stock pot, heat the chicken stock. Add thyme, salt, and pepper.

In a food processor, puree raw potatoes and onions. Add to stock. Simmer slowly for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add whipping cream and diced baked potatoes. (If soup becomes too thick, thin with water).

To serve, ladle 8 ounces of hot soup into an oven proof serving bowl or slow cooker. Top with 2 to 3 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese. Place under the broiler for 4 to 6 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Place on plate. Top with 1 tablespoon sour cream, 1 tablespoon diced scallions, and 1-tablespoon bacon, and serve.

This weeks theme at Heads or Tails is the word pack. When I first thought of the word pack it instantly meant packing a suitcase. Years ago we took care of my parent’s yellow striped tabby cat while they lived in Saudi Arabia. Cats were eaten in that country and my parents decided not to take a chance with our precious Goldie. When my husband and I would pack our suitcase, Goldie would sit in it as if to say, “you are not leaving without me!” That cat had such a neat personality.

This picture is similar, (I don’t have a cat), to what our cat looked like while sitting in our suitcase.

If you would like to join us by participating in this fun meme, click on the picture of the coffee cup.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States, and he has become a human rights icon.

King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. That was an important year in our history.

What do you do in honor of such an influence on our society? Many schools are closed today. I have an appointment with our business plan consultant to talk about my least favorite subject: taxes. Whatever, enjoy your day and remember to appreciate those who took risks in order that we might enjoy the freedoms we have today.

Today was spent at the RV show in Indianapolis and the garage sale at the state fair pavilion also held in Indianapolis. What a contrast in merchandise! The rv’s ranged from the tiniest camper I have ever seen to the largest motor home. That huge motor home had tipouts that made the home feel like a small apartment. The furnishings were beautiful. I think I could be happy living in a motor home if it was outfitted like some we saw today. I sure wouldn’t want the debt for the thing. Many of the display models had the payments listed as in the neighborhood of $400-$500 per month and the payments were spread over twenty years! Yikes!

I enjoyed the huge garage sale. I don’t know why it wasn’t called a flea market but I suspect it has something to do with the fact that the “flea market” is next weekend. I suppose that having a “garage sale” doesn’t step on the flea market promoter’s contract stipulations.

I picked up an old antique iron that I plan to use for quilt making. I also bought a jar of large buttons. I am always needing buttons when I make purses. My legs got a good workout as I wandered through rows and rows of merchandise that included everything from fuzzy socks to eczema treatment cream. There were booths with antique jewelry as well as those who peddled turquoise jewelry and fake Rolex watches. I saw Kitchenaid accessories but they were priced as high as what one would pay at Kohls.

We limited our time at each event and found ourselves back at home before five this evening. Time to work on my farm at Farmville!

I am so excited for my daughter! and a bit jealous of her new Kindle reader. She is loving being able to read her favorite books on a lightweight reader. She doesn’t have to use a separate book light at night and has been known to read until the wee hours of the morning. She doesn’t show her tiredness like her mom who has to work with face moisturizer to get all the sleepy lines off her face.

Newspapers may go by the wayside but I don’t think we will ever be a bookless society. It feels so good to have a book in my hands and turn the pages. The convenience of the Kindle is appealing. My daughter was able to save so much money by downloading her textbooks for her master’s program at college. The savings nearly paid for the Kindle!

from Wikipedia
Amazon Kindle is a software and hardware platform developed by Amazon.com subsidiary Lab126 for rendering and displaying e-books and other digital media.[1] Three hardware devices, known as “Kindle,” “Kindle 2,” and “Kindle DX” support this platform, as does an iPhone application called “Kindle for iPhone”. The first device was released in the United States on November 19, 2007.

The Kindle hardware device uses an E Ink brand electronic paper display, and is able to download content over Amazon Whispernet using the Sprint EVDO in the USA or, for newer Kindle 2 devices, AT&T’s network internationally.[2] The Kindle hardware device can be used without a computer, and Whispernet is accessible without any fee.[3] These devices also provide free access to the internet. Kindle devices sold prior to October 19, 2009 were sold only in the United States.[4] On October 7, 2009, Amazon announced an international version of the Kindle 2 with a built-in 3G (HSDPA) and EDGE/GSM wireless modem for connectivity in over 100 countries. This international version went on sale October 19, 2009 worldwide.[5]

On March 3, 2009, Amazon.com launched an application called Kindle for iPhone in the App Store, allowing iPhone and iPod Touch owners to read Kindle content on those devices. Through a technology termed “Whispersync,” customers can synchronize reading progress, bookmarks, and other information across Kindle hardware devices and other mobile devices.[6][7]

Amazon announced the Kindle DX on May 6, 2009. This device has a larger screen than its predecessors and supports PDF files natively. It is marketed as more suitable for displaying newspaper and textbook content.[8]

Amazon has released Kindle for PC as a free software download, allowing users to read Kindle books on a Windows PC.[9]

The Kindle competes with other e-paper devices: the Barnes & Noble nook, the Sony Reader, iRex iLiad, the Jinke Hanlin e-Reader, and CyBook by Bookeen.